The present invention relates to stabilized cocoa flavored and colored cooked pudding products and methods of making the same. More particularly the present invention is directed to a cooked pudding composition containing highly-dutched cocoa (i.e., having a pH of from 7.0 to 8.5) which maintains a sharp pie cut and a firm texture.
Up to the present time virtually all cocoa flavored and colored cooked pudding products were formulated with natural or lightly-dutched cocoas having a pH below 7.0. Cooked puddings previously prepared containing highly-dutched cocoas (i.e., having a pH above 7.0) exhibited a loss of appearance, texture and mouth-feel in that the puddings prepared had a soft texture, a lower viscosity and were not able to maintain a clean pie cut. This inability to use highly-dutched cocoa in cooked puddings products presented serious drawbacks in that highly-dutched cocoas possess a better color, flavor and can be used at lower levels than its natural, or lightly-colored cocoa counterparts.
Thus, it is a main feature of the present invention to prepare a cooked pudding composition containing a highly-dutched cocoa which maintains the appearance, textural and mouth-feel attributes associated with cooked pudding products prepared with natural or lightly-dutched cocoas.
It is a further feature of this invention to prepare a cooked pudding composition containing highly-dutched cocoa which maintains a sharp pie cut and a firm texture.
It is also a feature of this invention to prepare a cooked pudding composition which can utilize reduced levels of cocoa to obtain optimum color and flavor.